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Epicenter, ridden with confidence by Joel Rosario, relaxed early and then put away field with ease to win the Grade 2, $650,000 Jim Dandy by 1 1/2 lengths at Saratoga Saturday.
Attracting three of the top seven finishers from the Kentucky Derby along with the winner of the Preakness, Saratoga's 1 1/8 miles Jim Dandy staged a small but talented field of the sport's top 3-year-olds.
Trainer Steve Asmussen sent out Epicenter hoping to turn the table on Early Voting, who beat his colt in the Preakness.
The Chad Brown duo of Early Voting and Zandon took to the front through all the calls, with Preakness-winner Early Voting setting moderate fractions of 24.22 and 48.28 seconds. Ohio Derby (G3) winner Tawny Port kept to the rail in third, and surprisingly, Epicenter not Zandon settled to the rear never more than five lengths off the front.
Swinging widest of all on the second turn, Epicenter emerged in the five-path and began to build his rhythm while the other three were neck-in-neck. Rosario scrubbed but never showed the Not This Time colt the crop, letting him power past on his own accord to win the Travers (G1) prep.
Early Voting faded to the back as Zandon fought for second ahead of Tawny Port in third on the rail.
